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Informing Postgraduate Curriculum Reform through the "Thousand-Village Demonstration and Ten-Thousand-Village Improvement Project": The Development of Research and Practice in Rural Development

Author(s)

Xinbo Yu, Yue Wang*

Affiliation(s)

School of Architecture and Art Design, University of Science and Technology Liaoning, Anshan, Liaoning, China *Corresponding Author

Abstract

In the context of comprehensively advancing rural development and building a strong agricultural nation, postgraduate education in design disciplines assumes a critical mission: cultivating high-level innovative talents for rural development. The "Thousand-Village Demonstration and Ten-Thousand-Village Improvement" Project—exemplifying Chinese modernization in the rural sphere—embodies a systematic approach, a people-centered philosophy, an ecological worldview, and a long-term developmental methodology. As such, it offers valuable insights for pedagogical innovation in higher education. This paper examines the postgraduate course Research and Practice in Rural Development within environmental design, addressing key challenges in its prior implementation, including the gap between theory and practice, limited instructional diversity, and insufficient integration of value-based education. Drawing systematically on the experiential wisdom of the "Thousand-Village" initiative, the study explores comprehensive reforms in curriculum content, teaching methodologies, practice models, and assessment frameworks. The reform aims to establish a new teaching paradigm characterized by research orientation, integration of knowledge and action, and multi-stakeholder collaboration. It seeks to cultivate graduate students’ robust design competencies, deep social awareness, systemic ecological thinking, and a committed sense of responsibility toward rural communities. By aligning academic training with national development needs, this approach enables design education to contribute meaningfully to the sustainable and holistic revitalization of rural areas.

Keywords

"Thousand-Village Demonstration and Ten-Thousand-Village Improvement" Project; Curriculum Reform; Rural Development; Research-Oriented Teaching

References

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